Vivian Blaine

Vivian Blaine

Band singer Vivian Blaine was signed by 20th Century-Fox in 1942 as yet another of that studio's potential Betty Grable replacements. Vivian was given a major boost when assigned the female lead in the Laurel and Hardy comedy Jitterbugs (1943), which showcased her talents in three well-mounted production numbers. She went on to bigger and better screen assignments in such lavish Fox musicals as Something for the Boys (1944), State Fair (1945) and Three Little Girls in Blue (1947). She left Fox in 1947 to pursue a nightclub career, which turned into a nightmarish experience when she was booed off the stage by fanatical fans of her opening act, Martin and Lewis. Vivian survived this setback by creating the role of Miss Adelaide in the blockbuster 1950 Broadway musical Guys and Dolls, repeating this triumph in the London production and the 1955 film version. In 1951, Vivian co-starred with Pinky Lee on the popular musical comedy TV series Those Two. Active in film character roles into the 1980s, Vivian Blaine also played a recurring part on the satirical TV soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976-77). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide